


The Theft That Wasn't

by SherlockDreadsNaught



Category: Sherlock (TV)
Genre: Crime Fighting, M/M, amusing crime situations, sherlock's blogger
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-02
Updated: 2014-04-02
Packaged: 2018-01-16 05:10:07
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,328
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1333177
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SherlockDreadsNaught/pseuds/SherlockDreadsNaught
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sherlock is puzzled and John can't get over it!</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Theft That Wasn't

**Author's Note:**

> This is an idea I've been tossing about but I'd like some feedback. Keep going or not? Please drop me a comment! Or maybe it's just a one off, crime solved all in one short chapter!

John Watson found himself watching in amazement as the world's only consulting detective, Sherlock Holmes, circled the room again, looking positively puzzled.  He was pacing and circling, his Belstaff Milford making soft swishing sounds as it whirled out around him.  His lips were moving, he was apparently talking to himself, and every once in a while he'd shake his head as if saying no to something.  In the meantime, John found himself trying to cover for the detective, smiling widely at the two clients, a husband and wife who had called them in a panic over several valuable gems being stolen from a locked room.  But even as he smiled at the clients, John felt a niggle of nervousness start to creep up his spine.  Locked room, no sign of forced entry, this should have been right up Sherlock's talented alley, the very type of crime he loved to solve in 60 seconds or less.  He watched as the taller man stopped by the empty display case, squinting up at the track lighting that was focused on it, then gazing into the case and poking at the midnight blue velvet cushioning with one gloved finger and frowning fiercely.  The detective shifted his gaze to the clients, who were by now wringing their hands and swaying back and forth anxiously.  He smiled a very stiff smile at them, but they didn't or couldn't return it.  The man started to speak but the woman poked him in the side with her elbow.

Sherlock started to swirl away from the display case when he stopped short and bent down further, peering at something on the side of the case away from John.  With a deeper frown, he carefully pulled a folded up slip of paper from under one of the small velvet pillows that rested on the base.  Unfolding it carefully, he looked at it and then handed it John, who in turn handed it to gentleman.

"This case has just left my jurisdiction," Sherlock announced.  "You need to call in Scotland Yard, my suggestion is that you contact Detective Inspector LeStrade."  With that he strode past the clients and indicated to John that it was time to leave.  John gave the clients an apologetic smile and a nod and hurried after the detective.

"Mind telling me what that was all about?" John demanded when he caught up to Sherlock on the grand circular drive in front of the mansion.  "I mean, seriously, you're passing this one off to the police?"

"With the information I can give the police, even Anderson would be able to solve this one. Oh wait, no corpse for him to completely misread!"  The taxi they had procured for the trip was still awaiting them, and as the driver started the engine, Sherlock held open the back door for John to enter, then he slid in next to him.

After Sherlock told the cabbie to take them to New Scotland Yard, John started in again.  "No deductions? Did you see those people? I thought he was going to have a coronary any second.  Those gems were worth almost a million pounds Sterling, Sherlock!"

"Yes...and I found a ransom note." He looked pointedly at John. "A ransom note. For stolen jewlery.  This is clearly an inside job."

"Oh. Oh, I see, clearly an inside job."

"John, I will explain when we get to LeStrade's office. It will all make sense, you'll see." 

 

When they arrived at Scotland Yard, John swore every set of eyes was on them; it even seemed as though he heard a few snickers and some muttered comments. If Sherlock saw or heard any of it, he was ignoring it.  He strode with purpose, not to mention grace, straight for Detective Inspector Greg LeStrade's office, head held high, back ramrod straight.  Sally Donovan popped out of an open door, making some comment, to which Sherlock merely replied "And good morning to you, Donovan!  Did Anderson ever get that new mattress?"  Once in LeStrade's office, Sherlock firmly closed the door in Sally's face, omitting her from the conflab between him, John and the detective inspector.

"Bollocks, Sherlock, what is this call I got from the Hansen's?  They consulted with you, and you left them with no clues, no solution, nothing?" LeStrade's voice souned as rumpled and weary as he looked.

"No, that is incorrect. I found their ransom note."  Sherlock gracefully eased into a chair and crossed one long, lean leg over the other. "A ransom note for stolen jewlery."

LeStrade and John exchanged glances. John shrugged and shook his head to the negative, making Lestrade sigh. "OK, let's have it."

"Well," Sherlock drew a deep breath and launched into his deductions.  "This is clearly an inside job. Not the husband, and I think not even the wife though she will indeed be an accessory to the crime.  The first mistake was making it seem like it was a locked door job.  Obviously someone had a key to the room, even though both of them claim that their own keys were safely locked away. Easy enough to make a duplicate, even for those keys that supposedly cannot be duplicated; you just have to find someone who has had the training and proper certification to do so. The wife is having an affair the chauffeur--John, what was his name..."

"Michaels, Aaron Michaels, he's been with them..."

"He's been with them for 18 months, has gained their trust..."

"But an affair? Sherlock, if you're just sayng that...." LeStrade tried to interrupt.

"The wife has obviously been dying her hair, but she's doing it carefully, cautiously changing the color, not getting it done at a salon. So, someone is helping her, I'd say her personal assistant who wasn't there today, she has the day off.  Michaels is the mastermind--I use that term loosely in this case--behind this carefully posed crime.  If you check his past," with that Sherlock reached into his coat and drew out his mobile phone, punched a few keys and held the screen up, "You'll find that our Mr. Michaels used to own a limosine service that declared bankruptcy 23 months ago.  From the way he dresses and the fact that he gets regular manicures and botox injections, you'll be certain to find the cause of the bankruptcy was his affinity for luxury living and very expensive cars which he regularly purchased for his limo service. Unfortunately, he'd have to charge more and more for his limos, which in turn would make business drop off..."

"OK, so this note..."

"Yes, more specifically a ransom note, for those 3 gems that are now missing, asking for exactly the same amount as the debt the limo company left Michaels with plus enough start over."

"But you didn't tell them any of these deductions!" John butted in to the dicussion. "You paced around looking puzzled..."

"I didn't want to show my hand right away. Let them get a little overly confident.  If they play it right, the three of them will end up collecting on the gems.  Michaels and the wife collecting from the husband, and the husband will pad the figures and collect from his insurance company."

For a few moments LeStrade and John sat blinking at each other, soaking in the weaving strands of deductions and fitting it all together. It was LeStrade who broke the silence. "You know, Sherlock, I've always said you'd make one helluva criminal if you put your mind to it. You even figured out how one fake robbery can pay out twice. Bloody hell..."

"Surely not that difficult of a deduction to realize how this will play out.  The wife and her lover get the money they want, the jilted husband gets back what the gems were worth. Unfortunately in this instance, I'd say where the three of them will be spending the next ten or so years, no one will be enjoying any sort of pay out."

 

 

 


End file.
